1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that searches and processes stored content.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of various kinds of systems that store a vast amount of electronic contents (such as a document and an image) so as to reuse the content are proposed in response to recent developments of network environments. In this regard, a function for searching for desired content is necessary under the network environment. Thus, a very strong full-text search type search engine is proposed which can search contents including a large number of search objects.
For example, there is a search site (search system) for searching for an HTML document on the Web.
In most cases, such a search system or search engine uses a keyword search. A keyword is previously linked to a content to be searched. What is important here is which word is set as the keyword.
In some cases, besides a word, a sentence and a character can be used as a keyword.
Because a plurality of different keywords can be set for one content, the keyword needs to be user-friendly by using a term having a broad meaning and a term having a narrow meaning in combination.
In addition, contents that are not utilized and contents to which an inappropriate keyword is set, need to be cleaned up by maintenance work.
Further, in some cases, a function for automatically adding a keyword to a content is used. In this regard, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 07-239854 discusses a technique in which date and time and a page number concerning an operation performed to a content can be used as a search keyword.
However, in a case of using the function for automatically adding a keyword, the keyword that is added is sometimes inappropriate.
For example, in a case where search keywords that a user has used in combination at the search operation are added to a concerned content, the content may not be significantly related to the added keywords.
In most cases, the function for automatically adding a keyword does not include a function for determining whether the added keywords are appropriate. Accordingly, many keywords can be set to one content or an inappropriate keyword is undesirably set to a content. Therefore, how to find an appropriate keyword automatically is a major challenge for the search system.
In addition, in deleting an inappropriate keyword or adding an appropriate keyword according to a content search result, it is not sufficiently examined whether the keyword is appropriate or inappropriate. Accordingly, an appropriate keyword can be undesirably deleted at the time of deleting a keyword, or an inappropriate (unnecessary) keyword can be undesirably added.